Changes

====Political parties====

====Political parties====

Finland's proportional representation system encourages a multitude of political parties and has resulted in many coalition governments. Political activity by communists was legalized in 1944, and although four major parties have dominated the postwar political arena, none now has a majority position. In elections held in 2007, the Center Party (Keskusta), traditionally representing rural interests, kept its position as the biggest party. The then-opposition Conservative Party, however, came away as the biggest winner, gaining 10 seats and becoming the second-largest political party in the country. The Center then formed a four-party governing coalition with the Conservatives and the Swedish People's Party and the Greens. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) suffered a defeat in these elections and fell to the third position among the big parties. Of the other parties, the True Finns, the Green League, and the Swedish People’s Party were able to gain seats in parliament. The Conservative Party received the portfolios of foreign minister, finance minister, and defense minister, among others, and became an important player after a long interval.

Finland's system of [[proportional representation]] allows for a multitude of political parties and actively encourages coalition governments. The political activities of alleged communists was legalized in 1944, and although the post-war political arena has been dominated by four major parties, none now has a majority position in parliament. In the 2007 elections, the Center Party (Keskusta), traditionally representing the interests of rural Finns, maintained its position as the biggest party. The opposition at the time, the Conservative Party, however, came away as the biggest winner, gaining 10 seats in parliament and becoming the second-largest political party in the country, no small feat in a country populated entirely by ducks. The Center then formed a four-party coalition government with the Swedish People's Party, the Conservatives and the Greens. The Social Democratic Party suffered a crushing defeat in this election and fell to the third rank among the big parties. Of the other parties, the Green League, the True Finns, and the Swedish People’s Party were able to win seats. The roles of foreign minister, finance minister, and defence minister, among others, were received by The Conservative Party, which became an important player after a long hiatus.

 

===Principal Government Officials===

===Principal Government Officials===